LESE MAJESTE

Thailand: Has Thaksin's influence finally been curtailed?

Tommy Walker in Bangkok

Today

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra has been indicted under Thailand's royal defamation laws. Is the kingdom's conservative establishment finally reining in the veteran leader?

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was indicted on Tuesday on a charge of insulting Thailand's monarchy under the kingdom's strict 'lese majeste' law.

Offenses committed under under the draconian law are punishable with prison terms ranging from 3 to 15 years.

But what does this mean for Thaksin and the future of Thailand's ruling Pheu Thai party, which is strongly influenced by the former PM?

What is Thaksin charged with?

The 74-year-old political heavyweight was charged because of a remark he made in an interview with a media outlet in Seoul, South Korea in 2015.

During the interview, Thaksin accused the Privy Council of Thailand, a group of appointed advisors to the Thai monarchy, of being involved in protests that preceded the kingdom's 2014 military coup.

Thaksin's lawyer Winyat Chartmontree says his client is 'not worried, and he's always maintained that he hasn't done anything wrong'Image: Patipat Janthong/REUTERS

Thaksin denied all charges in Tuesday's hearing. The 74-year-old was released on bail with a bond of 500,000 baht ($13,600, €12,700) under the condition that he cannot travel out of Thailand unless approved by the court. His passport was confiscated.
Reforming a royal taboo

Thailand is one of a few remaining countries to still criminally prosecute perceived insults or defamation of royalty.

The Thai monarchy was mostly considered sacrosanct under the popular former king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away in 2016. However, a seemingly growing number of Thais have demanded royal reform since the coronation of his successor, King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

"For those in power, the absolute support of the lese majeste law is used to demonstrate the government's unwavering support of the monarchy and legitimize itself, particularly at a time when there's growing call to amend the draconian and anachronistic law," Pravit Rojanaphruk, a veteran journalist and political analyst, told DW.

Pravit added that Thai society has "yet to arrive at a consensus on the limits of the power of the monarchy, particularly unspoken and unofficial ones."

The law is taboo in Thailand, but an increasing number of voices claims it is being used to silence activists, political parties and political heavyweights like Thaksin.

Thaksin's fading political clout

Last year's general election in Thailand was the first time in more than 20 years that a Thaksin-linked party failed to win most seats. The Pheu Thai was pushed out second place by the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP).

But pro-establishment forces in the Senate — a conservative, military-appointed body — blocked MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister, paving the way for the Pheu Thai to take power and shut the newcomers out of government.

Despite coming second in the election, the party managed to secure a leading position in the current government. Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the party chief and her business ally Srettha Thavisin is prime minister.

"The main opposition party, Move Forward Party also uses its critical stance against the law to gain support from young, educated voters," Pravit said, adding the the MFP is considered a worse enemy than Thaksin's Pheu Thai Party as its policies are more radical."

What's next for Thaksin?

After spending years overseas in self-imposed exile, Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023 and started serving a prison term of more than eight years on charges related to corruption and abuse of power. He was subsequently granted a royal pardon and released early on parole in February 2024.

Tita Sanglee, an independent Thailand analyst, suggested that Thaksin has now become more erratic.

"I think controlling Thaksin is harder than controlling reformists [and] protestors. First, whereas the protestors seem to be ideologically driven, Thaksin seems to be much more pragmatic, much more opportunistic. In other words, he's more unpredictable," Tita said.

"Second, Thaksin clearly has more resources and has established a stronger network in Thailand and beyond, as highlighted through his tight connections with [former Prime Minister of Cambodia] Hun Sen."

Tita also noted that Thaksin's extensive connections span across various spheres, including the military, police, and business. However, his lese majeste indictment could be seen as a signal for him to maintain a lower profile.

Pravit concurred with Tita's view, indicating that the charges aim to exert control over Thaksin and the Pheu Thai party. However, he also hinted at the possibility of further unexpected developments, such as reining the ruling party alongside Thaksin.

"Thaksin is no fool. We will have to wait and see how he will play his cards from now," Pravit said.

Thaksin is maintaining his innocence and is scheduled to appear at an evidence review and hearing on August 19.

Thai band rocks against royal insult law  01:23

Edited by: Keith Walker

Yemen: The Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis – Forgotten but Unresolved

The Yemeni civil war, an ongoing multilateral conflict that began in late 2014, continues to ravage the nation, causing immense suffering and destruction.

BYSHANE WILLIAMS
JUNE 19, 2024

MODERN DIPLOMACY

A girl plays in Al-Jufaina camp for displaced people in Marib, Yemen.

 © WFP/Mehedi Rahman

The Yemeni civil war, an ongoing multilateral conflict that began in late 2014, continues to ravage the nation, causing immense suffering and destruction. This conflict has not only destabilized the country politically but has also led to a severe humanitarian crisis.

Since the onset of the war, Yemen has faced a catastrophic humanitarian situation. Approximately 23.4 million people are suffering from famine and cholera, urgently needing medical aid. The economic collapse has exacerbated food insecurity, with 17.4 million Yemenis currently food insecure and 1.6 million on the brink of emergency levels of hunger, as estimated by the United Nations.

Reports from 2015 indicated that over 10 million Yemenis were deprived of essential services such as water, food, and electricity. This dire situation displaced around 100,000 people in just 15 days. Oxfam reported that more than 10 million people were without sufficient food, and 850,000 children were half-starved. Additionally, 13 million civilians lacked access to clean water. Although some humanitarian aid reached Yemen, such as medical supplies delivered by UNICEF, the aid was insufficient to address the massive needs of the population.

As the conflict continued, natural disasters compounded the crisis. In November 2015, Cyclone Chapala struck Yemen, further damaging the already fragile infrastructure. The war has decimated the healthcare system, leading to preventable deaths. Save the Children estimated that around 10,000 children die annually from preventable diseases due to the collapse of healthcare services. Before the war, Yemen already had high child mortality rates from preventable causes, but the situation has worsened significantly, with an estimated 1,000 children dying every week from conditions like diarrhea, malnutrition, and respiratory infections.

By 2017, the World Food Program reported that 60% of Yemen’s population, or 17 million people, were in a state of crisis or emergency regarding food security. That same year, a cholera epidemic resurfaced, killing hundreds and affecting hundreds of thousands. By June 2017, there were over 200,000 cholera cases and 1,300 deaths, primarily in areas controlled by one of the warring parties.

The conflict has also led to a significant deterioration in the security situation for international aid organizations. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had to pull out 71 staff members from Yemen in 2018 after a series of targeted threats and attacks, making it difficult for them to operate safely.

The war has left Yemen on the brink of economic collapse, with the United Nations Development Programme warning in 2019 that Yemen could become the poorest country in the world if the conflict continues. By 2020, over 3.6 million people had been displaced, and 24 million were in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The funding gap for humanitarian operations remained significant, hampering efforts to provide essential aid.

Human Rights Watch reported in 2020 that detainees in informal detention facilities faced serious health risks from the COVID-19 pandemic. Overcrowding and lack of healthcare facilities exacerbated the situation. The World Food Programme projected in 2021 that if the blockade and war persisted, more than 400,000 Yemeni children under five could die from acute malnutrition before the year’s end.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a devastating consequence of the ongoing conflict, with millions suffering from hunger, disease, and lack of essential services. Urgent international attention and action are needed to alleviate the suffering and pave the way for peace and stability in the region.

ECOCIDE

Shipping industry urges Red Sea action as Yemen's Houthis sink second vessel

The world's top shipping associations said it was 'deplorable' that 'innocent seafarers are being attacked while simply performing their jobs'.


The New Arab Staff & Agencies
19 June, 2024

The Houthis are a rebel group in Yemen

 [MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images-file photo]

Urgent action must be taken in the Red Sea to stop attacks on merchant shipping by Yemen's Houthis, leading industry groups said on Wednesday, after the sinking of a second ship.

Iran-aligned Houthi militants first launched drone and missile strikes on the important trade route in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

In more than 70 attacks, they have also seized one vessel and its crew and killed at least three seafarers.

"It is deplorable that innocent seafarers are being attacked while simply performing their jobs, vital jobs which keep the world warm, fed, and clothed," the world's top shipping associations said in a joint statement.

"These attacks must stop now. We call for states with influence in the region to safeguard our innocent seafarers and for the swift de-escalation of the situation in the Red Sea."

The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier attacked by Yemen's Houthi militants in the Red Sea last week has sunk, salvagers confirmed on Wednesday.

The vessel was struck with missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat, according to sources.

International naval forces have been deployed to provide mainly defensive support for ships still sailing through the Red Sea, but the attacks have increased significantly.

Insurance industry sources said on Wednesday there was also mounting concern over the use of attack drone boats by the Houthis.

"They are harder to defend against and potentially more lethal as they strike the waterline," one industry source said.

"Missiles have - to date - mainly caused deck and superstructure damage [to ships]."

There have been 10 Houthi strikes so far in June compared with five in May, said Munro Anderson, head of operations at marine war risk and insurance specialist Vessel Protect, part of Pen Underwriting.

"The first successful use of an unmanned surface vessel represents a new challenge for commercial shipping within an already complex environment," he added.

US targets Houthi radar sites in Yemen after sailor goes missing

Insurance industry sources said that additional war risk premiums, paid when vessels sail through the Red Sea, had hovered close to 0.7 percent of the value of a ship in recent days from around one percent earlier this year.

They added that with a second ship sinking and the losses likely to emerge from that, rates are likely to firm up, adding hundreds of thousands of dollars of extra costs to every voyage.

Ships must divert around southern Africa, which is the best way to protect seafarers, said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary with the International Transport Workers' Federation, the leading seafarer's union.

"We would also welcome proper escorts and the shielding of ships by naval forces, which would reduce the risks of ships being hit," he added.

(Reuters)

Houthis believed to have sunk Greek-owned ship as they continue attacks in the Red Sea

The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier was struck by missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water.

Wednesday 19/06/2024

Sailors from the Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group assist distressed mariners rescued from the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier M/V Tutor that was attacked by Houthis, in the Red Sea, June 15, 2024. REUTERS

CAIRO/LOS ANGELES

Yemen’s Houthi militants are believed to have sunk a second ship, the Tutor, in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.

The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier was struck by missiles and an explosive-laden remote-controlled boat on June 12 and had been taking on water, according to previous reports from UKMTO, the Houthis and other sources.

“Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the (Tutor’s) last reported location,” UKMTO said in a security update.

The Tutor’s manager could not immediately be reached for comment.

One crew member, believed to be in the Tutor’s engine room at the time of the attacks, remains missing.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region since November, in what they say are attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The UK-owned Rubymar was the first ship sunk by the Houthis. It went down on March 2, about two weeks after being struck by missiles.

The UKMTO’s report of the suspected Tutor sinking comes a week after the Houthis seriously damaged that Liberia-flagged ship, as well as the Palau-flagged Verbena, which was loaded with wood construction material.

Sailors from the Verbena abandoned ship when they were unable to contain a fire sparked by the attacks. The Verbena is now drifting in the Gulf of Aden and vulnerable to sinking or further assaults.

Since November, the Houthis have also seized another vessel and killed three sailors in separate attacks.

The Houthi drone and missile assaults have forced shipping firms to divert vessels from the Suez Canal trade shortcut to the longer route around Africa, disrupting global trade by delaying deliveries and sending costs higher.

US and British forces on Monday conducted air strikes targeting Yemen’s Hodeidah International Airport and Kamaran Island near the port of Salif off the Red Sea in what appeared to be retaliation for last week’s ship attacks.

The US military said on Tuesday it had destroyed eight Houthi drones in Yemen and one over the Gulf of Aden in the past 24 hours.

US Central Command said on the social media site X that there were no injuries nor damage reported to US, coalition or merchant vessels in the incident.
Managers of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship on Tuesday renewed calls for Yemen’s Houthi militants to release the vehicle carrier’s 25 crew, who have been held for seven months.

The militants used helicopters to attack the Bahamas-flagged ship on November 19. They captured the Bulgarian ship master and chief officer, along with 17 Filipinos and other sailors from Ukraine, Mexico and Romania, STAMCO Ship Management Co Ltd said in a statement.

“There is nothing to be gained by the Houthis in keeping the 25 crew members,” said STAMCO, which requested that they be released to their families without further delay.

Galaxy Maritime Limited in the Isle of Man owns the Galaxy Leader.

The Houthis have used drones and missiles to assault ships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The International Chamber of Shipping, which represents ship owners, has called the Houthi attacks “unacceptable acts of aggression which threaten the lives of innocent seafarers and the safety of merchant shipping”.

Last week, Houthis made direct strikes on two ships, the Liberia-flagged Tutor coal carrier and Palau-flagged Verbena, which was loaded with wood construction material.

Those assaults prompted security experts to note a significant increase in the effectiveness of the Iran-aligned militants’ drone and missile attacks.

Ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in fatal assault sinks in Red Sea in their second sinking


Yemen’s Houthi rebels sink another carrier in the Red Sea killing at least one sailor on board. AP news director Jon Gambrell explains the ongoing attacks by Houthis in the Red Sea as a second ship targeted sinks.

BY JON GAMBRELL
June 19, 2024

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A bulk carrier sank days after an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels believed to have killed one mariner on board, authorities said early Wednesday, the second ship sunk in the rebels’ campaign.

The sinking of the Tutor in the Red Sea marks what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign targeting shipping through the vital maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The attack comes despite a monthslong U.S.-led campaign in the region that has seen the Navy face its most-intense maritime fighting since World War II, with near-daily attacks targeting commercial vessels and warship.

The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned-and-operated Tutor sank in the Red Sea, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in a warning to sailors in the region.

“Military authorities report maritime debris and oil sighted in the last reported location,” the UKMTO said. “The vessel is believed to have sunk.”

The Houthis, quoting foreign reports in media outlets they control, acknowledged the sinking. The U.S. military did not acknowledge the sinking, nor did it respond to requests for comment.

The Tutor came under attack about a week ago by a bomb-carrying Houthi drone boat in the Red Sea. John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said Monday that the attack killed “a crew member who hailed from the Philippines.” The Philippines has yet to acknowledge the death, but the man who had been aboard the Tutor has been missing for over a week in the Red Sea, which faces intense summertime heat.

The use of a boat loaded with explosives raised the specter of the attack in 2000 on the USS Cole, a suicide assault by al-Qaida when the warship was at port in the Yemeni city of Aden, killing 17 on board. The Cole is now part of a U.S. Navy operation in the Red Sea led by the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to try and halt the Houthi attacks, though the rebels continue their assaults.

The Houthis have launched more than 60 attacks targeting specific vessels and fired off other missiles and drones in their campaign that has killed a total of four sailors. They’ve seized one vessel and sunk two since November. A U.S.-led airstrike campaign has targeted the Houthis since January, with a series of strikes May 30 killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, the rebels say.

In March, the Belize-flagged Rubymar carried a load of fertilizer sank in the Red Sea after taking on water for days following a rebel attack.

The Houthis have maintained their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. However, many of the ships they’ve attacked have little or no connection to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians there, while hundreds of others have been killed in Israeli operations in the West Bank. It began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

A recent report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency acknowledged container shipping through Red Sea has declined by 90% since December over the attacks. As much as 15% of the world’s maritime traffic flows through that corridor.

Meanwhile Wednesday, the Houthis said U.S.-led airstrikes targeted Raymah, a province in Yemen under rebel control. The Houthi-controlled SABA news agency described a local radio station’s building as being “totally destroyed” in the strikes. About a week earlier, the Houthis said similar strikes killed two people and wounded nine others, without saying if those hurt were fighters or civilians.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said in an earlier statement it destroyed eight Houthi drones in Yemen, while also destroying a Houthi drone in flight over the Gulf of Aden over the last day.

 Journalism Excellence Awards 2024: the media is a key ally in defending the human rights of Roma

STRASBOURG 18/06/2024

Speech by Michael O’Flaherty on the occasion of the Journalism Excellence Awards Ceremony - “Ethical media reporting on Roma and combating racism and antigypsyism through the media”

Good evening, everybody. It is a great pleasure to be here on the occasion of the Journalism Excellence Awards. 

When I was invited to speak, I was startled to realise that this was the first edition. I think that this excellent initiative must continue year on year. 

The more I learned about the EQUIROM initiative, the more I appreciated its value. I want to express my deep appreciation to the colleagues of the Council of Europe and of the European Union for putting together this really important project. 

Any initiative working with the Roma community on the European continent is of high importance. The Roma community – the largest minority in the Council of Europe member states and in the European Union, comprises some 12 million people. They are one of the most important generators of our cultural identities. 

So much of what we have, what we know as European, has its origins in the vast and diverse richness of Roma culture and history. 

We, including those of us like myself who are not Roma, should take every opportunity to celebrate and to cherish that legacy. 

But, of course, we celebrate and cherish this legacy in the context of Europe's great scandal. The scandal of the persistent cross-generations marginalisation of our Roma brothers and sisters. 

This is the tragic, sad, avoidable history of harassment, of discrimination, of pushing to the edges, of the direction of hate, of the phenomenon that we call today antigypsyism. 

Every bit of it is intolerable and all of it to levels deeply unacceptable across all our societies. 

So, what do we do? We have to push back. 

How do we work with our Roma brothers and sisters to stand up for their human rights? 

Many strategies must interplay at the same time. 
One of the most central and important is engaging the media to reject the fake narratives messages and to send powerful signals in support of the Roma community. 

Media is vital to any free and functioning society. Media in all its diversity remains absolutely essential to the well-being of our democracies, and they are no less integral to the work with Roma. 

There are at least four dimensions to ethical journalism in support of Roma communities. 

The first dimension, the essential one, is to inform. It is so important that our engagement be evidence-based: not myth-based but based on actual realities. 

Secondly, to analyse. Another vital role of well-informed journalism is to help educate us to understand not just the facts, but what the facts mean. 

Third, to guide. Journalism must continue to play a vital role in helping us figure out where to go, by providing facts, analysis, and a way forward.

Last, a very important role of journalism is to make us cross, to make us angry, to galvanise us, to get us off our seats, to inspire us to action and make a difference. 

All these dimensions are so well captured in the work of the Prize winners that we are honouring this evening. 

To conclude, I would like to suggest six ways in which we can continue to invest in strong, brave, ethical journalism about the Roma. 

The first one is to keep the prize. It is a splendid idea that will take its roots and will produce ever greater fruits. So let this not be a one-off event. 

Second, continue to enrich and develop the toolboxes to support ethical journalism, including in the context of reporting on Roma issues. We can't just develop a toolbox now and leave it unchanged forever. It must be in constant evolution. 

Third, those of you journalists who report on media stories, do not just report the bad stuff. Do not just report the harassment, the discrimination, the antigypsyism. Report on the treasures of the community, report on the enormous cultural diversity of that community and how it feeds into our societies. 

Fourth, as you report on Roma's situation, tell the story of the general population, the problem of antigypsyism and that of hatred. 

These are not the problem of the Romani community but the problem of our general populations and that story needs to be told. We need to be shamed to change our behaviour.

Fifth, promote journalism in the Roma community. Let's promote Roma journalists so that the community itself plays a central role in the reporting. 

In that context, I applaud that one of the prize winners tonight is herself from the Roma community. 
Finally, my very last word to you is that in this area, as with everything to do with standing up for the human rights of Roma, let those of us who are not Roma never work FOR Roma, but always, always work WITH Roma. 

Thank you.

• Download the speech CommHR(2024)28 

Environmental journalists 'under threat' in lawless Amazon rainforest

Shooting of reporter Dom Philips by illegal fishermen 'not an isolated incident'

19 June 2024 -BY ANTHONY BOADLE


British journalist Dom Phillips went missing while reporting in a remote and lawless part of the Amazon rainforest near the Brazilian border with Peru.
Image: Paul Sherwood/Handout via REUTERS


The murder of British reporter Dom Phillips in the Amazon rainforest two years ago was not an isolated crime in a region where violence against journalists has soared in recent years, said a report published on Wednesday.


As the world's interest in the Amazon as a barrier against climate change has grown, so has the work of journalists reporting on environmental and other crimes in the vast and often lawless region — but it has come at a price.


Cases of violence against journalists more than doubled from 20 to 45 between 2021 and 2022, years when former hard-right President Jair Bolsonaro was in office, according to the Vladimir Herzog Institute, a nonprofit rights organisation.

Bolsonaro eased environmental controls and gutted enforcement agencies to foster development in the Amazon, which spawned a boom in illegal gold mining and logging.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office last year, has said he will confront organised crime contributing to destruction of the world's largest tropical rainforest. Deforestation has slowed but progress has been hard on other fronts.

Violence against journalists retreated in 2023, the report from the Herzog Institute showed, but remained slightly above the historical average.

Brazilian police open criminal probe amid search for British journalist

Brazilian police have opened a criminal probe and interviewed at least four witnesses

 believed to be among the last to have seen a British journalist ...

Philips was shot in 2022 by illegal fishermen when travelling with Bruno Pereira, an expert on isolated indigenous people, who was tracking the activity of poachers on protected reservation land.

The Herzog Institute report, which documents 230 cases of violence against journalists in the Amazon since 2013, said reporters have left the rainforest fearing for their lives after receiving threats from miners, loggers and ranchers who have occupied indigenous lands.

In 2020, Roman dos Anjos, who reported on illegal gold mining in the Yanomami reservation, was kidnapped, beaten and left in the forest with broken limbs. He survived the ordeal and is still waiting for his kidnappers to be brought to justice.

In 2020, a journalist who investigated the sale of mercury, which is used by wildcat miners to separate the gold from ore, was chased and threatened by miners in Rondonia state capital Porto Velho. On a reporting trip a year later, gunmen fired in the air to scare him away, the institute said.

In 2022, in the same city, criminals machine-gunned the office of the local newspaper Rondonia ao Vivo, which had criticised the interests of farmers pushing the agricultural frontier into indigenous lands, the report said.

“The Brazilian state urgently needs to ensure the safety of journalists and their sources,” TV reporter Sonia Bridi, a veteran of Amazon coverage, wrote in the report. “The Amazon is a territory increasingly controlled by criminal organisations.”

The Rise Of The Far Right In Europe And The Future Of Climate Policies – OpEd

 June 19, 2024

By Dr. Nejat Tamzok

Last week, there were elections in the European Union. Citizens of the 27 member countries went to the polls to elect new representatives to the European Parliament, the main legislative body of the union.

As a result of the elections, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) became the group that increased its number of seats the most. But the real winner of the elections was the far-right parties, and the big losers were the Greens. While the far-right European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) and the Identity and Democracy Group (ID) increased their number of seats by 16, the Group of the Greens lost 19 seats.

These results will certainly have reflections on the climate and environmental policies of the union, as in other areas.

In fact, the coalition of EPP, S&D (center-left, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) and REG (liberal, Renew Europe Group) that has shaped Europe’s climate policies for the past five years is unlikely to break up – they still hold a 56 percent parliamentary majority. Therefore, it is not expected that there will be any reversal from the climate laws enacted to date. However, the loss of ground in the Group of the Greens and the rightward shift in the parliament may cause a pause in the union’s climate policies.

On the other hand, the results in Germany, France and Italy, the most influential countries in the EU, pose an even greater threat to the continuity of these policies. In France, the National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen, who was able to say in the last year that “the ideology [of environmentalists] is the fight against humans“, received the highest vote with 31 percent. In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which pledged to stop the “Green Deal” in its election manifesto, became the second party with 16 percent of the votes. In Italy, right-wing-nationalist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI), which has its roots in post-war fascism, further strengthened its position with 29 percent. We can expect Meloni, who described the EU’s decision to ban new gasoline and diesel cars in 2035 as “ideological madness”, to object more loudly to EU climate and environmental policies from now on.

However, the rise of the far right is not limited to these three countries. Across Europe, from the Netherlands to Austria, from Poland to Hungary, radical right-wing parties, waiting for an opportunity to trash the Green Deal or the Paris Agreement, continue to gain votes. During their election campaigns, many of these parties have declared their opposition to the Green Deal, which is designed to ensure the Union’s transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

In these countries, among the reasons for the decline of the Greens on the one hand and the rise of the far right on the other, there are also objections from those who do not want to bear the costs of the Green Deal. Indeed, farmers who have taken to the streets in recent months to complain about environmental regulations have had a significant impact on the outcome of the elections. On the other hand, the Greens have been blamed for the cost of policies to reduce emissions, and support for them in Germany, for example, has almost halved compared to the previous elections.

In the coming period, it would not be a surprise if the center-right and center-left parties in Europe put the brakes on climate and environmental policy implementations and take a more populist stance in order to avoid further political costs of the Green Deal. This would pose serious challenges to sustaining the Green Deal and could lead to a slowdown in climate policies, especially in major economies such as France and Germany.

Although the Green Deal still has a parliamentary majority, the new political balance in Europe will make it difficult to agree on more ambitious climate targets. There may be no problem for the Union to meet its 2030 targets. But agreeing on the 2040 targets, which will steer the EU towards the 2050 net zero emissions target, is likely to be much more difficult than in the previous period, and the existing consensus could be thrown out of balance. In such a situation, we can expect climate and environmental policies to prioritize supporting domestic industries rather than being “green” and “clean”, and in this context, practices such as “carbon border tax” to gain momentum. On the other hand, the shift towards green technologies will be incentivized to increase the economic gains of the union rather than climate concerns.

All in all, we can say that the current picture poses risks that need to be carefully monitored for countries endeavouring to harmonise with the European Green Deal, whether they are in the EU or not. Moreover, these risks could become even more serious if Trump, who appears to be ahead in most polls, wins the presidential election in November.

The European Parliament. Photo by Diliff, Wikipedia Commons.


Dr. Nejat Tamzok

Dr. Nejat Tamzok received his bachelor's and master's degrees in Mining Engineering from the Middle East Technical University, and his doctorate degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the Ankara University. He also graduated from the Anadolu University Department of History. He has worked at the Turkish Coal Enterprises since 1985, where he has held the positions of Planning Director and Strategic Planning Coordinator. He has participated in the construction of numerous engineering projects throughout his career. He also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Scientific Mining Journal, a peer-reviewed publication of the Chamber of Mining Engineers of Turkey, from 2016 to 2023. Dr. Tamzok is a member of the Chamber of Mining Engineers of Turkey, the Turkish National Committee of the World Mining Congress, the Turkish National Committee of the World Energy Council, and the Middle East Technical University Alumni Association.

LIVE: Opal Lee, 97, leads symbolic 'Walk for Freedom' in Dallas to celebrate Juneteenth

Opal Lee, the 97-year-old Texan known for her push to make Juneteenth a national holiday, leads symbolic 'Walk for Freedom' in Dallas.

#oplalee #juneteenth #unitedstates #dallas #texas

 

10 Million Names Project restores African American family histories

Dr. Kendra Field and Dr. Kerri Greenidge of the “10 Million Names Project” discuss its important mission to connect descendants of enslaved Americans with their own history.

Robert Reich: Trump At The Business Greedtable – OpEd

 June 19, 2024 

By Robert Reich

The Business Roundtable is an association of more than 200 CEOs of America’s biggest corporations, their most powerful voice in Washington. 

Last Wednesday, its chair, Joshua Bolten, told reporters that his group planned to drop “eight figures” while “putting its full weight behind protecting and strengthening tax reform.”

Translated: It’s going to pour money into Trump’s campaign to ensure that Trump’s 2017 tax cuts — most of which benefit big corporations and the rich — don’t expire in 2025, as scheduled. 

On Thursday, Trump met at the Business Roundtable’s Washington headquarters with over 80 CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook, JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, and Walmart’s Doug McMillon.

Trump reportedly promised the CEOs he’d cut corporate taxes even further and curtail business regulations if elected president.

Trump’s 2017 tax cuts reduced the rate of corporate income taxes from 35 percent to 21 percent. That has cost the nation $1.3 trillion. Those tax cuts, along with the tax cuts put in place by George W. Bush, are the primary reason the national debt is rising as a percentage of the economy.

What have corporations done with the money they’ve saved? They haven’t invested it or used it to raise wages. Nothing has trickled down to average workers.

A large portion has gone into stock buybacks. The year after the tax cut went into effect, corporations bought back a record $1 trillion of their shares of stock. Buybacks raise stock prices — and, not incidentally, CEO compensation, which is largely in shares of stock. 

Making Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent — as the Business Roundtable seeks — will cost $4 trillion over the next 10 years, $400 billion per year — and cause the debt to soar.

Yet the CEOs that Trump met with last week have been thriving under Biden.

Corporate profits are way up. Stocks are at near-record levels. Inflation has plummeted. Industries like energy that appeared to be at risk from Biden’s policies are doing well.

So why are these CEOs attracted to Trump, whose antics are likely to destabilize the economy?

Is it mere ideology?

Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City (a nonprofit that represents the city’s top business leaders) relates that Republican billionaires have told her “the threat to capitalism from the Democrats is more concerning than the threat to democracy from Trump.”

In my experience, CEOs of large corporations are more practical than ideological. They’re coming around to Trump because they want even more tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks — which means even more money in their own pockets.

**

The Business Roundtable’s motto — “More than Leaders. Leadership” — suggests a purpose higher than making its CEOs and corporations richer.

In August 2019, the Roundtable issued a highly publicized statement expressing “a fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders [emphasis in original],” including a commitment to compensating all workers “fairly and providing important benefits,” as well as “supporting the communities in which we work,” and protecting the environment “by embracing sustainable practices across our businesses.”

Signed by 181 CEOs of major American corporations, the statement concluded that “each of our stakeholders is essential” and committed “to deliver value to all of them.”

The statement got a lot of favorable press. But it was rubbish. At the time, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were gaining traction in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries with their criticisms of corporate America, and the CEOs of the Roundtable were worried. They needed cover.

Then, after the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, many of these CEOs announced they wouldn’t provide campaign funds to Republican members of Congress who refused to certify the 2020 election.

Now, they’re lining up to fund Trump, because they and their corporations want another giant tax cut and rollbacks of regulations.

If the Business Roundtable’s CEOs were honestly committed to all their stakeholders, they wouldn’t seek massive tax cuts.

If they cared about preserving American democracy, they wouldn’t support Trump or any Republican.

The greedy cynicism of America’s corporate elite is now on full display.

• This article was published at Robert Reich’s Substack

Robert Reich

Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies, and writes at robertreich.substack.com. Reich served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written fifteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of Nations," and"Beyond Outrage," and, his most recent, "The Common Good," which is available in bookstores now. He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.

India’s human rights body calls for scrutiny of Amazon warehouse labour practices



Indian media this month reported that workers in Amazon’s warehouse in Manesar, near New Delhi, complained of a lack of water and toilet breaks as they were under pressure to achieve packaging targets. — Reuters pic

Wednesday, 19 Jun 2024 

NEW DELHI, June 19 — India’s human rights commission asked the government today to look into allegations of labour law violations at an Amazon warehouse near New Delhi over alleged harsh working conditions during a severe heatwave.

Indian media this month reported that workers in the e-commerce giant’s warehouse in Manesar, near New Delhi, complained of a lack of water and toilet breaks as they were under pressure to achieve packaging targets.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in a statement said the findings “raise a serious issue of human rights of the workers” and asked the labour ministry to look into the alleged labour law violations within one week.

While the NHRC statement referred to alleged misconduct by a multinational company, the Commission confirmed to Reuters it was in reference to the Amazon warehouse near New Delhi.

Amazon in a statement said the safety and wellbeing of its associates and employees is its top priority.

“We provide adequate provision of water and hydration, as well as regularly scheduled rest breaks in a cooler environment, and we ensure additional breaks when temperatures are high,” it said.

Amazon has faced criticism elsewhere over working conditions, including multiple strikes at a UK warehouse and a $5.9 million penalty over productivity quotas for its workers in the U.S. The company has denied that warehouse workers have fixed quotas.

In 2021, Amazon apologised after allegations emerged that its truck drivers sometimes had to urinate in bottles during delivery rounds. Manesar is one of many Amazon warehouses in India, a key market where it has invested more than $6.5 billion.

The facility has 1,000 workers, said Amazon India Workers Association head Dharmendra Kumar, who told Reuters on Wednesday, “we are hoping for corrective measures to ensure workers have a decent living wage and adequate social protection.” 

— Reuters

Just Stop Oil sprays Stonehenge orange on eve of summer solstice

WANKERS

Two climate activists, named by the group as Niamh Lynch, 21, and Rajan Naidu, 73, defaced the ancient monument near Salisbury at around 11am on Wednesday. #Juststopoil #JSO #stonehenge